Finsternis
by kochan1
Summary: The beginning of one Kunoichi's journey through a world where she seeks nothing but acceptance. The first fic I've ever written finally updated after FOUR years! Parallel universe. Enjoy!
1. A Siren's Silence

Disclaimer: Don't own Tecmo, probably never will. Some characters are mine, you know which ones aren't.

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Finsternis (Darkness)

by kochan

Chapter 1: A Siren's Silence

It came from above; a multitude of yellow and black shades floating in a sea of green. In silence, it called for her attention. But as she turned, it had gone.

A smile curved at her lips.

"Was it a flower falling, or a butterfly?" she thought. 

It was beautiful...that was all that mattered. She was fond of memories that held such mystery.

Delicate form balanced on the tree branch, her body mimicked a feline in her stretch. 

She let The Black Forest permeate her senses once more: 

The fragrance of fresh rain, the air filled with sweet zest. Splashes of lush, vibrant colors through the flowers and leaves. Songs of praise from the calls of birds and insects. The wind whispering for her to join it in thought, in meditation, in reflection.

And she replied,

__

"Weeping clouds pass over"

"yet nature rejoices with me"

"in Kami-sama's embrace."

"Such a rare moment." she smiled, feeling the tension drain from her muscles.

Wilderness nurtured the soul but two weeks in the forest was taking its toll. The dark-brown ponytail that reached to her waist was becoming rebellious, defying her efforts to groom it. The once-flawless skin of her angelic visage cried out against the sun's abuse.

She scratched at her shin guard, adjusting its position against the soft, dark cloth of her pants. Along with the black Gi top, her outfit confined her to the trees and their shadows during the day.

Attempting to mingle with the populace would only mark her for what she was. 

__

Kunoichi.

A female assassin. 

Eyes closing she felt her body adjusting to the hard, unforgiving bough. Her fingers toyed with a loose piece of bark as she thought of her search.

She prayed it would come to an end soon. 

The Yellow-black Papillon floated up once more, as though watching over her. It took flight into the forest, in search of its own destiny.

****

The moon cut swaths of dim light through the forest canopy, but still the shadows of the trees shielded the source of the sound from her eyes. 

She heard it again, a tortured moan. The sound was audible a moment, then silent once more.

Muscles sprang into motion. Cat-like movements across the higher branches brought her closer to...a man, facedown in the ground. 

Further inspection revealed a wound in his side. 

She noted the dark, glistening patch of blood that had spread through his ragged shirt. _Gunshot. _she thought. 

The Kunoichi raised her mask and dropped to the ground in silence. Her left hand was tight on her blade, her eyes intent on the man's form. 

She felt the tension slow her movements as she nudged the edge of her boot against his shoulder, drawing another one of those familiar moans. 

Pushing harder, she turned him onto his back.

She saw his hand move for her leg.

Her sword was unsheathed in a flash, pressing tight beneath his bearded chin as her knee pinned the offending arm. 

It was then that she noticed his eyes were clouded, tearful, _"Helfen...Sie mir helfen." _he whispered through cracked lips.

A frown crept across her brow but her thoughts were interrupted by voices in the distance.

They were coming.

His eyes narrowed with desperation, "Please...please take... this." he pleaded, voice rising almost to a whine, arm tightening beneath her knee.

She ignored him, eyes remaining cold. With the grace and speed of a leopard she bounded away, securing herself amongst branches.

Out of sight...

yet still within striking distance.

A single Bo-Shaken was tensed between her fingers ready to be released the second she was compromised; she hoped there wouldn't be a need for it.

__

"Gehet Nicht! Fraulein! ...Sie mir bitte...bitte...helfen." He was crying, and though she couldn't see his tears, she could feel his voice crushed by his fear.

And they came, wolves drawn to the bleating of a fallen lamb, two of them. 

Her eyes caught the unmistakable glint of gunmetal in the light and she cursed in silence.

"So Jurgen, had a good run? We can't let you have too much fresh air you know. You might decide not to come back!" the lead one cackled with laughter. This one was gruff and overweight with a tasteless sense of humor. She could almost smell his rank breath, foul body odor and the sickening stench of stale beer about him.

The other was no more than a young boy. Short, blond hair cropped close to his head. He turned this way and that, as though warding off the shadows with his gun.

"Out of place." The Kunoichi thought, but a scared, young boy armed with a gun was the last thing she needed right now.

"Please. Please...spare _mein _family...a dead man's wish, _um himmels willen..._ please Bren..." Jurgen begged, sobs increasing in intensity. 

Bren cackled again and she shivered, "Oh, oh Jurgen...crying like a baby. Did we hurt you that much? Oh, poor boy." He grinned, and she saw the glint of gold fillings. 

"Don't worry, Jurgen. We'll make sure the little whore fetches a respectable sum." Bren continued, raising his gun.

Jurgen's eyes now fixated on her from afar, pleading for one last chance as they narrowed. 

Her heart froze as the boy looked in her direction and she held her breath, praying for the moment to pass.

"Last words, Jurgen? I'd make them famous ones." said Bren.

__

"V-vater unser im...Himmel. Ge-gehiligt werde Dein, Name." Jurgen paused to sob a moment more.

Bren interrupted, "What the hell is he saying, lad?"

The boy clutched his gun close, voice shaking with fear, "He's praying, sir."

Jurgen had paused again as Bren grinned at him. _"Mensch!! Wollen sie mihr nicht helfen... oder koennen sie mihr nicht helfen!!!!!" _screamed the doomed man as he beckoned to her.

She turned away as Bren pulled the trigger and the tranquil calm of the forest was shattered. Birds and bats took to flight, scattering from the trees. 

Then, all was still.

"Now and forever, Amen." finished Bren.

The boy stared at the corpse, "We...were we meant to...kill him? Just like that?" his words were broken in confusion.

She could see the strain Bren put on his bloated body as he stooped down, collecting the shell casings.

"He had a loose tongue." said Bren.

A shake of the head, the boy asked, "But they were lies, weren't they?" 

"You'd best not ask too many questions, lad." growled the older man.

"Yes sir." The boy scratched behind his ear, "...sir...?"

Rolling his eyes, Bren asked, "What is it, lad?".

"He...he was calling for... help." came the stuttered reply.

Bren sighed, "Course he would. He was praying." he followed up with a belch, much to her disgust.

Her heart stopped again as the boy pointed in her direction with a shaking finger. "He...he was calling over there, sir." She bit her lip.

Bren frowned and readied his gun once more, then motioned the boy forward in a silent nod. The younger male hesitated a moment before another glare from Bren drove him on.

Her heart started up again, beating faster than she had ever imagined it could. Sucking in a deep breath, her fingers tightened about the shaken in her hand. Her legs tensed likewise.

She could almost feel the boy's gaze piercing the leaves and branches about her.

Then, their eyes met.

He blinked and raised his gun. 

She hurled the throwing blade and dropped from the branch.

The surrounding trees lit up with the flash of gunfire, a thunderous crack filled the air.

No sooner had she touched the ground, the branch she had been perched on disintegrated into wooden fragments and sparks. 

The scream that followed was proof her aim had been true.

She kept to the trees and closed the distance on her other adversary with haste, hand tight on her sword handle.

Another deafening flash, this time from Bren's gun, illuminating his face. She saw the horror and panic there as he glimpsed her form, spawned from the shadows. The bullet flew by her shoulder to lodge in a tree trunk.

She never gave him the chance for a second shot, twisting his outstretched hand up and around in a way that nature never intended. She felt ligaments and tendons strained to their tearing point, and pushed beyond. His wrist gave way in a loud snap, forcing him to drop the firearm and bend in submission. 

She silenced his brief cry of pain with a swift and hard blow to the face, crushing his nose with the force of the kick. 

Last of all, her blade came, sliding deep between his ribs to puncture the lungs within. Air and blood bubbled out of the wound. He fell back as she released him.

Through his eyes, she could almost feel the deflated bladders collapsing over his heart, suffocating it. 

Even as he used his last breath to curse her, she held his head and cut his words with a deep incise wound to the throat, severing the carotid artery. 

She watched as the ground soaked up his life essence.

Bren was no more.

The Kunoichi dropped her mask to her neck, closing her eyes for a moment.

Checking the boy, she sighed in relief, finding him dead. The Shaken would have lanced into his eye with sufficient force to rupture the soft sphere and lodge deep in his brain. His death would have been quick, one might almost think merciful.

She brushed her hand over his cheek and smiled. At least he would never grow to be like Bren, and for that she was glad.

Retrieving the Shaken, she wiped both it and her sword with a soft, cotton cloth before sheathing the latter. 

Then she looked to Jurgen. 

In his outstretched hand, she noticed a bloodied locket. It opened to reveal the faces of a woman and a young girl gazing at her with pleading eyes.

She drew a breath then exhaled in a gentle sigh. 

It wasn't over yet.

Having placed the locket snug in the side of her Gi, she looked to the boy for the last time, whispering,

__

"Moon and tree bear witness"

"The seed stilled."

"Rotten fruit ne'er to bear."

Smiling in satisfaction she departed. A leap, a bound and she was amongst the trees once more.

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Fin - 1st Chapter.

Author's note – Just an opportunity to thank my main beta reader who's had to balance cutting films, indoor soccer and those phone calls into the early hours of the morn. Couldn't have done it without you.

Oh yes, And my mother for putting up with me tying up the phone line practically every night for the past 6 weeks.


	2. Lieselotte

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**Finsternis  
**By Kochan

Chapter II - Lieselotte 

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Stinging, cold water.

The Kunoichi swept several palmfuls upon her face and exhaled in a sigh.

Things were clearer now. She heard the music of the birds. The air was crisp, alive and her body surged with newfound energy as she drew a sip of the water down her throat.

Her evening reflection in the stream stared back in contemplation. It shivered with each drop of water that fell from her face before becoming still.

Everything had a place, a purpose. She pondered hers.

As another ripple journeyed across the pond, her mind returned to the events from a few nights ago, her inability…no…refusal to save the man who'd called to her. She'd scoured the countryside in search of the man's family since, showing the locket to lone children who would not suspect her.

The grey overcoat she'd pilfered added yet another item to her growing list of larceny, but it'd been necessary to avert suspicion. One of the boys she'd met playing by an old church the day before had spoken of the people in the locket. They were a farming family that resided close to where she was now.

Another palmful of water and then she discarded the coat to tie on her hood and mask.

It was time.

* * *

The evening haze had settled over the valley and she left the sanctuary of the trees. A short sprint across the small vegetable patch brought her to the side wall of the farmhouse.

The Kunoichi flattened her back against the mud bricks and that was when the aroma of fresh yeast dumplings struck her. Days had passed since she'd eaten anything other than seeds and wild berries.

She shook the thought from her head and focused. Pots clanked, dishes clattered and furniture shifted behind the walls.

Someone was home.

A snort sounded around the corner and her hand flashed to her sword. Two silent steps allowed her to peek about the stained brick wall.

A white Landrace pig, characterized by its drooping ears hovered below the window. It circled and sniffed about in a makeshift enclosure of planks, rusted nails and one side of the house wall. She shrank back as a pair of hands emerged from the window to empty a bowl of food scraps into the pen.

With a delighted squeal, the pig wallowed in its snacks. Her mouth watered as she longed for even a small bite.

As the window closed, she apologized to herself for this one moment of weakness.

A quick dash, a flip across and she was grinning under her mask at a half-eaten apple spiked atop her blade. She crept back about the corner, fruit in hand to savor...only to crash headlong into another small pig.

_How could she be so careless?_

With a rush of blood she resolved to unleash a terrible kicking and beating upon the stealthy swine. But instead of four legs, this one had two. It had two arms, beautiful golden hair and the terrified face of a five-year old girl.

The child was clutching her leg and potato dumplings were scattered about the ground. That quivering lip, the wide eyes and that soft whimper which was at risk of turning into a deafening howl told her the girl was more afraid than hurt.

Her mind raced and she knelt, freeing her long ponytail before slipping the mask from her face. She smiled her brightest smile, hoping this would dispel the image of the dark, shadowy monster the child had no doubt feared would devour her before.

The cloth strip of her mask wrapped around one of the soiled dumplings before she presented the lump with a wide grin. There was confusion in the girl's blue eyes before tiny fists rubbed at them. They came wide again as the cloth was whisked away, the dumpling nowhere to be found.

Another dumpling was shown, shrouded and also made to vanish.

She caressed her belly and licked her lips with a soft 'mmm'. As comic as her actions were, the giggle she received for her efforts settled the void in her stomach and she found herself joining in on the laughter.

One by one, the remaining dumplings were tossed into the air as the young girl sat down to watch. The Kunoichi added the fourth and fifth buns from their hiding place in her jacket sleeves, juggling them all with the natural reflexes and superior coordination she'd always known to draw soft coos of awe.

To close, she caught four of the buns in the cloth. The last was bounced off her forehead onto the lap of her delighted audience.

She bowed her head at the enthused clapping and offered the buns back. The child shook her head to refuse and the Kunoichi smiled, giving a bow of gratitude this time.

The woman's shout from within the house almost caused her to drop her hard earned supper, "Lieselotte! Iss nicht alles das Klöße! das Essen ist fertig! "

Fear had widened those blue eyes again and Lieselotte hesitated before replying with what seemed like a lie, "Nien Mama! Ich habe zu Norbert etwas gegaben!" she cried before scrambling to her feet and tossing her dumpling into the pig pen.

"Ich muss fort…" whispered the child before waving to her with a pout.

She took a deep breath. They were without husband and father, yet they didn't know it. Soon, Jurgen's body would be identified and the authorities would come to deliver the news.

The Kunoichi eased the silver locket into Lieselotte's palm and closed those tiny fingers over it. A last chance to bring some happiness into her life before it changed for the worse.

"Herrlich!" the child gushed before opening it with a gasp. "Es gehört Papa! danke schön!" The Kunoichi found herself hugged and they shared a giggle before Lieselotte pranced towards the side door."Wie heißt Du?" came a last question.

She didn't understand but held up two fingers in a 'peace' sign and winked back with a smile.

Lieselotte beamed with wide eyes, "Zwei? Auf Wiedersehen, Zwei!" she waved again before dashing through the door. That flaxen head popped out one last time before the girl waved to the pig, "Gute Nacht, Norbert!"

She winced at the barrage of words the woman unleashed upon her daughter after.

_...Zwei..._ It had a nice sound to it.

She reached for the apple before noticing Norbert. The pig was poking his snout through the planks at her, perhaps noting his property. The fruit was soured through, but she managed a smirk on biting into it.

Norbert squealed as the apple core bounced off his head after to mix with the swill.

The trees embraced her once more in their cover as she brushed the dirt off a dumpling.

These would see her home.

* * *

**Long Overdue Replies:**

Rendered voice: Hope 4 years isn't too long for you Thanks for reviewing ?

Auron: Ok.

Visitor: Well, DOA's main story's about Ninjas. This has one in it

Li-Chan: That's fair enough. I didn't leave too much clue in. Thanks for the time ?

Paul: Thanks for reading…and glad you got something out of your first fanfic.

ValkyrianNight: Hehe…you're not the first but you won't be the last. Thanks for reading ?

Steel Angel: Oh well…we do what we can I guess ?

Katherine Parker: Much appreciated on the honesty and the depth of the review. I've already answered your first questions I'd say. Bren's story ends there and yes, the next couple of chapters will answer the remainder of your questions ? I realize that you'll probably never read this (like most others here), but I'm glad you enjoyed the read. Thank you for your time.

AziAzlea/Pyralis: Not dumb at all – you're hardly the only one here who didn't understand it. But if you enjoyed it, then that's probably more important to me ?

Juunko: Haha…it really did feel like Sayonara. It's been 4 years. In a sense I did try and liken what happens to what the main character's like. A mish-mash of emotions. It's from a Kunoichi's point of view – exactly who does become apparent later ?

Sibling: And I'm so happy you reviewed ? Your review…by far is the most valued and appreciated

Mark SYNTHESIS: Thanks for reviewing. Right – you are. Kunoichi is a female ninja, not necessarily Assassin. Her actual job does become apparent later though ? A shame about RTCW. I do wonder if you ever got that fic up – will check later Thanks for reading again.

Supercharger: Haha…your answer's already there actually ;)

TigerEyes2: And you…my dear Imouto…are probably the only one that will ever read the reply to their review. It's only been 4 years before I've answered ;) special snuggle

Mask: Hmm…how about 4? And yes…I can see an end in sight ? Thanks for the kind words

RedHeadTina: Thank you – I haven't actually written a Hayabusa x Kasumi romance though. Tanjoobi Omedetoo was about 2 friends spending some time together ? Glad you liked em both though ?

Lordfolken: Haha…well…it's KIND OF about Kasumi. (ahem) Thanks for the lengthy review Hope you don't mind me taking 4 years to arrive at chap II. Yes…I'll be 60 when I finish this at this rate :P Fortunately – you've only had to wait about a year actually. Facing Side HAS received updates far more often than this has. And this one's mostly because I was clearing up and found a draft I'd worked on years back ? Salutes back…till next…(whenever that is)

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It's been more than 4 years since the last installment and I'm expecting that most people thought this fic to be dead in the water. Not surprising really. But heck...I WILL finish all the fics that are half done...even if it kills me. Won't say anything other than the fact that the direction in which this fic was to go has changed several times since it began. But the premise remains the same, and after DOA3 and DOA4, the ship IS still bound for it's original destination (just a few different stops on the way). Till next all !


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